It was the following morning as Alduin was sitting in the morning parlour waiting for Harry to come down and trying to keep himself awake with very strong tea – he hadn't slept all night – that Kingsley came in, directly behind Tobby announcing his presence and earning the elf's look of disapproval, and without preamble, stated: "Fudge is denying Riddle is back."

Alduin blinked at him blearily. "What?"

"You heard me."

"But...there were about ten witnesses," Alduin said with slow incredulity.

"Yes...but apart from Harry, we all only caught a glimpse. How do you do a positive identification on a resurrected Dark Lord? He keeps insisting it was just some joke in bad taste or something like that." Kingsley shook his head. "To be honest, I stopped listening after a time. The point is...I wanted to consult with you about the next course of action."

Alduin gave him a surprised look. "Consult with me? Why?"

Kingsley shrugged. "Well, ultimately this is going to affect everyone, of course, but you and Harry most of all. I can either fight him on it – and in all likelihood find myself losing my job soon, unless Riddle does something big to confirm his return, which given that he ran when we came I don't expect."

Alduin nodded. "I think he's still weak," he confirmed.

"So, we can do that, and hope that our combined voice is strong enough to get Fudge the sack, in spite of most of the Ministry higher-ups already supporting him – most of them are suck-ups, so it doesn't surprise me, but Bartemius Crouch truly caught me off guard."

Alduin blinked. He was more than caught off guard, he was astonished. "Bartemius?" He said incredulously. All his suspicions about the man came back tenfold. There was no way the man as he pretended to be would go along with something like that. But Ginevra did had brought him confirmation that he was not being controlled...so what was going on?

"Yeah. Try talking to him if you can, because I don't get it – unless you were somehow right even though Moody is not being controlled. This must have to something to do with whatever secrets Winky was talking about. Anyway...it's a blow, but maybe with you and Dumbledore – I assume – on our side, and Harry, we could pull it off. The other option, of course, is pretending to go along with it. Amelia Bones is inclined to believe me I think, and maybe she could be convinced to turn a blind eye to certain kinds of operations..."

Alduin considered. "It all depends on what approach Riddle decides to take," he said then. "If, as I suspect, he means to keep his return quiet for now...then he will order his supporters to do their best to convince Fudge it wasn't him, and with all of them and their families leaning towards that, we don't stand a chance." He frowned. "I need to speak to some Death Eaters. I'll get back to you."

Kingsley nodded and departed again in all haste, whereas Alduin, exhausted to his bones, called Nitty to let her know that he was going out again and to give Harry the message when he got up.

This was going to be a very long day. In fact, a very long few years, in all likelihood.

He Floo-called Severus Snape and arranged a meeting with him. The professor picked him up at Hogwarts gates and, walking back to the castle, said: "I've been expecting you."

"I spoke to Dumbledore last night," Alduin explained, "but I assumed you'd be gone."

"I was," Snape confirmed.

"So you can perhaps answer my most burning question: does Riddle intend to announce his return, or does he plan to stay in the shadows and support Fudge's current delusion that it was just an impostor yesterday?"

"The second, for now, though it can change at any point from what I saw of him yesterday. He is not...the most stable."

"Lovely." Daniel Goldstein had warned him something like this could happen with so many Horcruxes destroyed. It could make the war easier in some ways, but much more complicated – and bloody – in others.

"Isn't it just?" Snape paused. "Are you going to see Dumbledore again?"

"I suppose I should – in light of this, I'm inclined towards a strategy of caution, but I'll have to discuss it with Harry – and with him. Though I should speak to Harry first..."

Snape stopped. "Then are you heading back?"

Alduin sighed. "Yes. Hopefully I can make Dumbledore come see me instead of having to make this trek again for the third time in twenty four hours later today..."

They walked in silence for a while. "Did Mr. Potter tell you what happened yesterday?" Snape asked at length.

"Yes. Theodore Burke tells me it's a thing called Blood, Flesh and Bone ritual?"

Snape grimaced. "Ah. Rather gruesome, but it would do the job, and explain why he needed Mr. Potter. He has no shortage of enemies, but he would have found this one most symbolic, no doubt. He was...most upset that he was robbed of the chance to kill him in front of all his followers."

"That was the plan?"

"From what I gather. He wasn't too keen to share his failure, but he did say that we were cheated out of the spectacle and he would have to postpone it, so..."

Alduin nodded. "Good to know. If you can, please keep me posted with anything relevant to Harry. If you don't mind, I'd check in regularly with you, so that you don't have to go to the trouble of arranging a secure meeting..."

Snape simply nodded, and let Alduin out of the school gates.

-hp-hp-hp-

Harry was sitting on his bed and staring at the wall when Alduin found him, and his cousin sat down on the bed next to him heavily. "Are you all right?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Harry muttered numbly.

"You don't look fine," Alduin pointed out in a voice that was unusually gentle for him.

Harry sighed. "It's just...it starts now, doesn't it? The whole prophecy business..."

"Well, that's what I'm here to talk to you about..."

And, to Harry's astonishment, Alduin then shared a tale of political idiocy beyond anything Harry would have thought imaginable.

"Wow," he said. "Now I understand why you all thought Fudge was a terrible minister."

Alduin snorted, which in itself spoke to how tired he must have been. "Indeed. So now, I assume your preferred approach would be to shout the truth out loud for everyone to hear, and if you decide to do so you'll have my full support – and Kingsley's and some other people as well, I am sure – but I'll beg you to think like a Slytherin for a moment."

Harry frowned, but nodded. "Okay..."

"If we do that, there is some small chance that we could get Fudge removed from the job, but a much bigger chance that Kingsley would lose his instead, and someone much less competent would be put in his place, or maybe someone in Riddle's pocket. Both, as I'm sure you'll agree, extremely undesirable outcomes. The upside would be that the information about what happened would get out, and people would be warned, but then again it's not so certain they'd believe you against the Minister...likely it would be split down the middle."

"So you want me to just pretend like nothing happened?" Harry was too numb to get properly angry – he hadn't slept much either – but if that was the case, he was ready to give it his best go.

"Certainly not," Alduin replied immediately and firmly, thank Merlin. "But I would prefer to find a way that gives us maximum benefits with minimum downsides, and the way I see it now, the best approach would be a sort of...cautious warning."

Harry was certainly too tired for this. "Cautious warning?"

"Yes." Alduin sighed. "Look, you were kidnapped in the middle of a Hogsmeade outing, there were plenty of witnesses of that, from among the students and Hogsmeade inhabitants both. Ten aurors also clearly saw you tied up and with your arm bleeding, in front of a strange cauldron in a graveyard. It's beyond obvious that something happened, and Fudge isn't denying it, he's just saying it wasn't Riddle. So...what if instead of insisting it was definitely him – which I know it was, don't get me wrong – you concentrated on the most undeniable facts? Give an interview about the kidnapping and about a spooky ritual and about Pettigrew. It will line well with what I said last year after the World Cup. Either Riddle is back or there is a very dangerous impostor here. Fudge will find it much harder to protest against that, and it should give us the benefits of people being forewarned and Kingsley being able to implement security measures he deems best without entering an open conflict with the Ministry."

"How much do you want me to keep secret about what happened in the graveyard?" Harry wondered.

"That's up to you, Harry. I know what I'd say in your place, but..."

Harry gave a frustrated exhale. "Then just tell me, and I'll decide if I agree or not!" Seriously, he had no patience for this.

Alduin hesitated for a moment, then said: "As you wish. I'd say that I was stunned and when I woke up Pettigrew was taking my blood and cutting off his hand and taking a bone from the grave and then a man emerged from the cauldron. That I don't really know how he got there or what the bone and blood and hand were for, and you were in shock and confused anyway, but that you are completely certain this was what you saw."

Harry frowned. "It makes me sound like an idiot."

"That's sort of the point, to a degree – it's a careful balance, but Harry, one of the main points in your favour is that you're still very young. If you play it up a bit, it will garner you sympathy, though you can't overdue it because otherwise it would cost you your credibility..."

Harry sighed. Yes, definitely too tired for this. His brain felt like it was frying when he as much as tried to think about the options and consequences. "I'll think about it," he muttered. "When do I have to decide?"

"As soon as possible," Alduin said apologetically, "but you have today at the very least. I don't want you back at Hogwarts before tomorrow, and that only if you feel up to it."

Harry immediately nodded. "I'll go back...I don't want my friends to wonder and worry, and I want to talk to them."

"Then I'll take you tomorrow morning. But for today, rest and eat and think about what you want to happen, and if you need anything – anything at all – let me know."

Alduin moved as if to get up, but then sat down again and said: "There are more things I should warn you about, or tell you. I don't know what's going to happen next, Harry, but you should have as much information as possible. The first is good news, even tough...well. Alexandra is pegnant again."

Harry raised his head, surprised – this was the last thing he'd expected to hear. "She is?" He asked, his excitement breaking through his numbness for a moment. "Do you know the name already?"

Alduin gave a small smile. "Yes – it's going to be a girl, and her name will be Rowan. We meant to tell you at Easter, but now we don't know if Alexandra will be able to come for the break at all, so..."

Harry nodded, his numbness creeping back when he realized: "I won't be able to see the boys?"

Alduin grimaced. "I can't guarantee anything. But maybe – I'll contact Alexandra, and maybe she could stop by with them today for a short while, if you want? That should be safe enough, and at least you would see them for a little bit."

Harry immediately gave an eager nod. At least there would be something good about his day here, he thought, to get him out of his haunting memories and depressed thoughts about the future.

"I meant to tell you the names of all known Death Eaters, too," Alduin then said slowly, looking at him, "but I think that can wait until just before you return to Hogwarts. I'll let you rest for now."

Harry simply nodded. He had a lot to think about. And some friends, fortunately, he could speak to immediately. It was going to be complicated with Draco – he'd have to ask Alduin how much he could tell, as he was pretty sure the Malfoy name would be one he'd hear on that list – but he was definitely calling Neville.

As he reached for the two-way mirror to make the call, however, he remembered his multi-way one shattering on the ground.

Damn it.

He supposed he should let Alduin know…and hope they were easy to replace.

After this experience, there was no way he was leaving the Manor without a way to immediately reach Alduin ever again.